


Emotional Baggage, Misunderstandings, and Navigating Through Relationships Despite Them: HappyCamper41's "Wanted: A Butterfly And A Cat"

by Keyseeker



Series: Fanfic Analyses [6]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Character Analysis, Gen, Meta, To An Extent, i guess, not fanfiction, spoilers through chapter 3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:27:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28018473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Keyseeker/pseuds/Keyseeker
Summary: I love what HappyCamper41 has done with many of the arguments and conversations between characters in “Wanted: A Butterfly and a Cat”. Oftentimes ‘good’ characters, ones with good intentions, end up coming into conflict or having a misunderstanding of some sort - but the conflict is reasonable, the misunderstandings have a good reason for occurring, and while characters can make mistakes, they aren’t demonized for them. They’re treated as people, just trying to navigate their world and situations as best they know how.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Plagg, Alya Césaire & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: Fanfic Analyses [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1883209
Comments: 2
Kudos: 32





	Emotional Baggage, Misunderstandings, and Navigating Through Relationships Despite Them: HappyCamper41's "Wanted: A Butterfly And A Cat"

**Author's Note:**

  * For [](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Wanted: A Butterfly and a Cat](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27257560) by [HappyCamper41 (orphan_account)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/HappyCamper41). 



I love what HappyCamper41 has done with many of the arguments and conversations between characters in “Wanted: A Butterfly and a Cat”. Oftentimes ‘good’ characters, ones with good intentions, end up coming into conflict or having a misunderstanding of some sort - but the conflict is reasonable, the misunderstandings have a good reason for occurring, and while characters can make mistakes, they aren’t demonized for them. They’re treated as people, just trying to navigate their world and situations as best they know how.

One of the first major examples of this is with Rena Rouge’s argument with Ladybug in Chapter 2, with how extremely (and in Alya’s opinion, overly) strict and secretive Ladybug is about secret identities, and information that isn’t completely necessary to fight akumas more generally.

> “I’m just trying to keep all of us safe-”
> 
> “From what?” Rena Rouge interrupted, vulpine eyes narrowing indignantly, “Last time I checked, the three of us are a team. Carapace knowing my identity wouldn’t be any more dangerous than you knowing it.”

Alya doesn’t just blindly accept Ladybug’s reasons. She thinks critically about the situation, looking at it as a whole, instead of merely focusing in on the part Ladybug’s been pushing - that the fewer people know a secret identity, the better. 

However, Ladybug’s also able to say her piece, give some more complete reasoning.

> “Carapace isn’t the only reason we don’t broadcast our identities on a megaphone.” Ladybug snapped, her voice becoming more and more irritable as the argument continued, “We never know who might be listening in on our conversations- we’ve seen the kinds of crazy powers that Hawkmoth can give his akumas. We always need to operate under the assumption that somebody is listening to our every word.”
> 
> “Chat Noir does have enhanced hearing…” Carapace mused, and Rena Rouge shot him a nasty look.

Ladybug HAS a point, one that Carapace even adds to - not a point Rena Rouge particularly likes, but one she’s forced to acknowledge - while also going over why it’s not a good enough reason in this case.

> “Look, I understand that you want to keep us safe.” Rena said, taking a deep breath to control her own temper, “But what you just said really doesn’t hold up to any scrutiny. If they can listen in on our every conversation, they could be following us home. We can’t live our lives like this… we can’t place our lives in the hands of people that we don’t even know!” She paused, letting her words to sink in, “Besides, you know who both of us are-”

Rena not only is able to fire back, showing how unreasonable it is to THAT tightly control what info they’re allowed to know while there are other, bigger security gaps that they can’t do much about - it makes the whole “you can’t let anyone have any clues whatsoever about your identity” thing seem more like security theater than anything. She also brings in the deeper reason she wants the rules to be relaxed a bit, one that’s based less on pragmatism and more on emotion. Placing your life in the hands of people you know nothing about is asking a lot, especially when, like in Ladybug’s case, she’s asking for Rena Rouge’s and Carapace’s complete trust, while exhibiting little trust in them in turn - or so it comes off to Alya at least.

> “Yeah. I do.” Ladybug said dryly, “And maybe there’s a reason I haven’t trusted either of you to know who I am.”
> 
> Ladybug and Rena Rouge’s eyes both widened in shock at the former’s words- until Rena Rouge’s narrowed with spite. Ladybug had always been a bit distant with her two allies, but she had never openly disparaged them like this before. Carapace was certainly a forgiving guy, but Rena Rouge wasn’t one to turn the other cheek in a situation like this.

Ladybug snaps and says something that… well it’s not that she doesn’t MEAN it, but she wouldn’t say it like that normally. She immediately realizes that she went too far, but the damage is done. And while Carapace may be one willing to let that level of disrespect slide in order to keep the peace, Rena Rouge isn’t - but that isn’t treated as being a bad thing. 

One thing that really sells Alya’s perspective here is the sentence noting that Ladybug had been distant with Rena Rouge and Carapace prior to this, but hadn’t “disparaged” them before. It frames the conversation squarely from Alya’s point of view, letting the reader better understand where she’s coming from and exactly how she’s interpreting Ladybug’s words. It really helps the reader empathize with Alya, not just on the strength of her arguments, but on her feelings about the situation as a whole.

> “Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Carapace stepped between the girls, “There’s no need to-”
> 
> “Oh, I think there is.” Rena Rouge growled, elbowing him aside, “You know? We didn’t have to help you, Ladybug! You asked us to fight besides you, because Chat Noir and Hawkmoth are too much for you to beat on your own. The hell do you mean ‘maybe there’s a reason’ you haven’t trusted us!?” 
> 
> Rena Rouge was ranting now, “We’ve never let you down, Ladybug. We’ve had your back- walking out on friends and family every time Hawkmoth and his pawns decide to attack innocent people! We’ve been through hell together, and you’ll have to forgive me for not wanting to spend every waking hour worrying about my partners learning that I go to a fucking high school!”

Rena Rouge is _ allowed _ to be angry. She’s allowed to say her piece, to express her feelings about it - not just on the secret identity situation, but what Ladybug just said to her, the dismissive attitude she had. She reminds Ladybug that they’re not just tag-alongs - they’re a team, and Ladybug isn’t the only who’s been fighting Hawkmoth, who’s had to ditch commitments, who’s had to survive daily life as a superhero. It’s a nice touch, putting it into context, that yes, Ladybug may be the leader, but that doesn’t mean she’s the only one with something at stake here, the only one who should have a say in this. And that fighting by her side, her and Carapace performing their jobs as the Heroes of Paris, should be reason enough for Ladybug to trust them. At least trust them more generally. Especially since Ladybug seems to expect trust from THEM, but will not show it herself.

To Ladybug’s credit, she recognizes Rena Rouge’s feelings and argument, and apologizes for her own words.

> Ladybug face quickly evolved- shifting from shock at the outburst, to anger at Rena Rouge’s words, and then to one of pure exhaustion.
> 
> “...I’m sorry.” Ladybug said finally, “What I said was out of line-”
> 
> “You don’t say.” Rena snorted, and Carapace chuckled nervously.
> 
> “-and, for what it’s worth, I trust both of you more than anybody.” Ladybug’s voice was hollow now- and fragile, “It’s just- my kwami told me that these secrets are more important than anything else. I understand why it bothers you so much- really, I do. And there’s a lot more going on here than you might think.” She looked between them cautiously, hesitant to say more.

I love how HappyCamper41 notes Ladybug’s changing emotions during this. It helps to show that it isn’t just Alya having emotional reactions here, but Marinette as well. That both of them are just dealing with these circumstances as best they can. Marinette became angry initially, likely as an instinctive reaction to being yelled at and hostility in general, but once she had a chance to comprehend what Alya said, what she was getting at… well, it doesn’t seem she blames her for it.

Canonically, Marinette has a tendency to think in terms of problem-solving, which is all well and good, but can sometimes misfire when she forgets about the feelings and perspectives of the people involved. I’m guessing that’s what happened here. She wasn’t really thinking about Alya’s perspective on this, her own point of view and feelings, until Alya’s outburst hammered it in for her and forced her to face the emotional issues Alya brought up about the lack of trust, making her recalibrate her thought process.

Which is a good thing! She listens to Alya’s concerns, not only the practical ones but the emotional ones, apologizes, and reconsiders her approach. That’s a mark of a good leader.

Something I also like? Ladybug blurts out the rest of the story, that she’s not supposed to be the Guardian, that Chat Noir’s supposed to be a hero, lays out some of Tikki’s theories, confesses her own fears, the pressure she’s under, and just… like with Rena Rouge before her, she’s able to make her point of view known, but not just from a purely practical standpoint, but from an emotional standpoint as well. Rena Rouge’s and Ladybug’s feelings during this are treated as being just as, if not even more, important than the cold, hard practicalities associated with the situations they find themselves in. It helps to flesh them out, to make them easy to relate to and see yourself in.

And this part at the end of the argument, the reconciliation, I thought was really important and well done.

> Rena Rouge groaned internally. Nino was probably right- this was the first time that Ladybug had opened up to them even a little bit, so there was no need to press their luck. But Ladybug’s logic was just so infuriating that Alya could only barely keep her mouth shut. The three of them were a team, and teammates needed to trust each other! Ladybug wasn’t going to accomplish anything by taking the weight of the world on her shoulders when she didn’t have to…
> 
> “That was a lot.” Ladybug said abruptly, but offered a somewhat forced smile, “It was still good seeing you guys, and-” She hesitated, and looked straight at Rena Rouge “I don’t want you to ever think that I don’t appreciate what you’re doing for me. You were right: you have had my back from the beginning. You’ve risked your lives for me and for this city countless times by now. Questioning you was… really messed up of me.” She swallowed, “I’m sorry, Rena.”
> 
> Rena Rouge stayed silent for a moment, her emotions more than a bit confused.
> 
> “I… I forgive you.” Rena Rouge said quietly, and Ladybug nodded.

Not everything was completely solved by this conversation. The core issues still remain. But things WERE made better, understanding between both parties was increased. While Alya still wishes Ladybug would trust her and Carapace more, her reasons for wanting that, for pushing for that, have changed - or maybe expanded. It’s less that Ladybug doesn’t WANT to be able to trust them, and more that she feels like it’s all entirely her responsibility, that it wouldn’t be safe to place her trust, and some of that burden, on Carapace and Rena - plus she’s not wrong about there being some risk involved.

Ladybug apologizing, acknowledging that what she said was wrong, that she didn’t mean it the way she sounded, saying how she feels about Rena Rouge and Carapace, that she acknowledges their role in this and appreciates them, was a good step in their reconciliation. There may still be some sources of tension between them, but it’s not based on resentment towards Ladybug - if anything, it’s based more on a desire to help and frustration that she won’t let them.

Also, Ladybug being willing to fully and sincerely apologize? Again, shows that she’s a good person to lead. 

One of the best marks of a leader isn’t just looking at whether things go wrong under their command - that denotes being lucky more than anything - but their response when problems DO arise. 

A different sort of argument, of misunderstanding and subsequent reconciliation occurs with Adrien and Plagg in chapter 3.

Adrien (accidentally) took away Plagg’s mouth in the previous chapter out of fear of what his father may do to Plagg if he kept on talking. By next chapter he’d managed to restore it, but it still left an impact on the kwami.

> “Hey… Plagg?” Adrien called out to his kwami hesitantly.
> 
> Plagg didn’t even look at Adrien, instead choosing to continue munching on a slice of swiss cheese as he stared out of Adrien’s gigantic window at the sunset. Fortunately, Adrien had managed to unseal the kwami’s mouth, but Plagg was yet to say a word about the entire incident downstairs.
> 
> “Um…” Adrien started, biting his lip awkwardly, “I know you’re probably still mad at me, but I was wondering if we could maybe… talk?” Adrien hesitated, “I didn’t mean to seal your mouth like that, and I just-” Adrien stopped when Plagg continued to ignore him.
> 
> An uncomfortable tightness grew in Adrien’s chest. He wasn’t particularly close with Plagg- the kwami generally minded his own business, after all- but the thought of Plagg giving him the silent treatment from here on out bothered Adrien far more than he’d have expected. He stared at Plagg’s back, unable to stop himself from recalling his father’s cold avoidance whenever a young Adrien misbehaved.
> 
> In particular, Adrien remembered a time when his father had confined him to his room for an entire week after Adrien (seven at the time) had spilled water on the designer’s sketchbook. He’d seen his mother several times every day- usually to bring him food- but other than that? Adrien remembered spending hours on end staring at the wall, wondering how he could regain his father’s trust.
> 
> _ Why can’t I do  **anything** right!? _
> 
> “Look, I’m sorry about what happened down there!” Adrien blurted, his voice breaking as he spoke, “I- I didn’t know I could do that to you, and I would never…” He trailed off, unable to stop his eyes from becoming the slightest bit wet, “I’m sorry, Plagg! And I know that you- you can’t forgive me, and I let you down, and you probably don’t want anything to do with me anymore-”

Adrien leaps to conclusions based on Plagg’s behavior - ones he has good reason to leap to, considering that “the silent treatment” and isolation are an established part of his father’s disciplinary method, of his way of punishing Adrien for even innocent mistakes and accidents - much like what happened with Plagg, since Adrien didn’t MEAN to seal off his mouth. Plagg can’t really isolate Adrien, being bound to him, but he can refuse to acknowledge his existence - which arguably is even WORSE with not being able to leave the room.

The part I really like is how Plagg reacts, how it’s filtered through Adrien’s eyes, yet it’s clear to the reader that Adrien’s an unreliable narrator, that his perspective is skewed due to his own experiences.

> “Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Plagg finally spoke as he turned around, and Adrien was astonished to see concern written on his kwami’s face, “Adrien, buddy. You need to calm down. Why wouldn’t I want anything to do with you anymore?”
> 
> Plagg floated away from the windowsill at high speed, landing on Adrien’s nightstand to face the boy as he paced. The small cat looked both nervous and confused as he studied Adrien up and down, his eyes widening as he noticed the tears in his wielder’s eyes.

Plagg hadn’t expected Adrien to actually break down and panic. Hadn’t thought of it, though knowing Adrien’s background, it was a pretty easily anticipated reaction. He hadn’t really MEANT to cause him that kind of distress, not consciously really thinking about it at any rate. The descriptions in the second paragraph, noting how he “floated away from the windowsill at a high speed”, “looked both nervous and confused”, and noting “his eyes widening as he noticed the tears in his wielder’s eyes”, are highly effective at conveying Plagg’s shock at Adrien’s reaction, at showing how his worldview tilts on its head, him reevaluating how to interact with Adrien, even without words. (Though the words earlier definitely help.)

> “I- you- I mean…” Adrien stuttered, blindsided by the kwami’s sudden response. He rubbed his eyes a bit, trying to deal with the tears that were still flowing.
> 
> “Listen.” Plagg said, his voice softer than Adrien had ever heard before, “You’re right- I am a bit upset that you silenced me down there. But I know that you didn’t mean to do it.” Plagg shifted uncomfortably, not sure how to respond to the boy’s tears.

Plagg looks at Adrien’s reaction and adjusts his approach. Much like with Ladybug in the earlier argument, he realizes that his behavior, his words and actions, were having effects he didn’t really intend, didn’t mean. And that Adrien’s emotional reaction, his point of view, makes sense and needs to be taken into account. That he misjudged Adrien.

Sometimes you have a flawed conception of someone else’s viewpoint, of how they perceive your actions, one that may not be entirely wrong but doesn’t fully take into account what the situation is like for them emotionally. I really appreciate how HappyCamper41 takes those flawed assumptions, those bits of friction and misunderstanding, and shows ways to try to deal with it, readjust expectations and resolve the situation to an extent, even if some friction remains. You can’t see inside of someone else’s head, to feel what they feel. Best you can do is muddle along as best you can, adjusting your viewpoint and approach when reality doesn’t match it, try to do the best you can.

> “You- you were ignoring me just now.” Adrien’s voice was still shaky- accusatory, even- as he regarded the kwami with distrust.
> 
> “Shit…” Plagg muttered anxiously, looking around awkwardly as if there was somebody else nearby that could bail him out, “I was- yeah, I probably shouldn’t have done that. I didn’t realize you-” Plagg swallowed, looking like he’d rather be anywhere but here, “I… didn’t think you’d take it so personally.”

Adrien’s evaluation of Plagg’s behavior wasn’t really that wrong - Plagg WAS giving him the silent treatment as a method of expressing his displeasure with Adrien. He just didn’t expect him to take it so hard, though he knows enough that he should have.

Plagg has his OWN emotional baggage that’s affecting his interaction with Adrien. Adrien isn’t the only one who’s been abused, been treated badly. Like how Adrien automatically interpreted Plagg’s behavior through the lens of the most similar example he knows, through his father’s behavior, Plagg subconsciously associated Adrien’s behavior with that of some of his previous wielders who misused him, abused him, used him to hurt others or hurt him themselves. It seems to have been more instinctual than anything - with how Plagg reacted when Adrien started freaking out, being surprised and not having any residual negative feelings towards him, at least that he displayed obviously, he just… it’s his usual coping mechanism, closing himself off from a corrupt wielder. It just took an obvious reminder that Adrien is not by any means corrupt, but is a victim himself, to break him out of that.

Plagg knew this of course. He’s been around Adrien and Gabriel enough to see that. But old habits, especially ones born of trauma, are hard to break.

Unfortunately, Adrien’s association between Plagg’s and Gabriel’s behavior causes him to leap to some conclusions that are obviously incorrect to the reader, but make sense from where Adrien’s standing.

> A variety of emotions flared up within Adrien, as he realized what Plagg’s behavior currently reminded him of. 
> 
> In his early years, whenever his mother was at a particularly long filming for one of her movies, Adrien’s father would be in charge of tending to the boy. Almost every display of emotion Adrien’s part would leave his father painfully uncomfortable if they weren’t outright scolded- as if Adrien’s feelings were so invalid that they were a burden to the man.
> 
> And just like those awkward hours Adrien spent with his father back then, Adrien realized that Plagg was only with him because he had to be. The city hated him for a reason, Ladybug saw right through his act, and Plagg would ditch him in a heartbeat if he could.
> 
> _Why am I such a mess!?_ Adrien sat on the side of his bed, desperately trying to hide his tears as he buried his face into a pillow. He hadn’t cried in ages, and he wasn’t supposed to- especially not with anybody watching.

Adrien’s taking Plagg’s reacting to his emotional outburst to mean that he was upset, was uncomfortable with Adrien HAVING emotions, displaying them at all, rather than just being empathetic with Adrien and not wanting him to suffer. He’s so unused to people empathizing with him, to feeling bad about making HIM feel bad, and wanting to make him feel better, that he has trouble recognizing it for what it is. The superficial similarities between Plagg’s and Gabriel’s situations don’t help matters.

The detail about Adrien’s background really helps illuminate his psychology here, show how his conclusion makes sense based on what he knows and has experienced, even though it’s incorrect.

> “Hey…” Plagg’s voice was softer now, as he landed on the pillow next to Adrien, “Look at me.”
> 
> Adrien complied, doing his very best to keep his face neutral.

With the conclusion Adrien’s reached about WHY Plagg’s upset, it makes sense that he’d keep his face neutral - Gabriel hadn’t liked any display of emotion from Adrien after all. Though I doubt Plagg fully realized why Adrien’s doing this - it’s a pretty natural reaction when wary just in general, to try not to show any weakness. Something that Plagg seems to be familiar with.

> “I’m sorry I ignored you.” Plagg said quietly, “I’m just… not used to having a wielder like you-” Plagg’s eyes widened, as he realized what he’d said, “In a good way! Most of the kids I end up with aren’t…” Plagg looked around frantically, as though physically searching for the right words.
> 
> “They’re not this pathetic, are they?” Adrien said, doing everything in his power not to sniffle, “It’s okay… you can say it. I know I’m a mess-”
> 
> “That is not what I was going to say.” Plagg interrupted, eyes narrowing slightly, “Usually… when one of my cats gets upset, they take it out on somebody that isn’t themselves.” He winced, recalling some particularly nasty scenarios, “And… over the years that’s led to some pretty serious consequences.” Plagg sighed, “You, on the other hand- you’re not like that. And I guess I’m just not used to it.”

> Adrien blinked, not immediately convinced.

This part is similar to Rena’s argument with Ladybug earlier, with how Ladybug apologized for her statements and gave her background and point of view to help Rena and Carapace better understand her reaction. It’s a very effective way of bridging gaps in understanding, especially ones derived from that person’s own specific circumstances and emotions.

And it’s something Adrien thinks about, tries to understand, see things from Plagg’s point of view now that he has a better understanding of what that viewpoint actually is.

> He considered the kwamis words further. Plagg’s power was pretty serious- his father had made that clear the entire time. Cataclysm could destroy literally anything, ignoring both size and durability, meaning that this ring was one of the deadliest weapons in existence.
> 
> In the wrong hands… Adrien didn’t even want to think about what would happen.
> 
> _ Bold of you to assume that you’re not the ‘wrong hands.’ _ A cynical part of Adrien’s mind seemed to mock him.

With what Plagg said, the background he gave, Adrien at least now has a glimpse into Plagg’s previous actions.

> “Oh, swiss- I’ve never been the best at these kinds of talks.” Plagg sighed, “Just- just know that I’m not mad at you right now. And while I’d obviously rather we dump the ken doll in the red pants and help Ladybug-”
> 
> “Um… what?”
> 
> “-I understand that it’s not happening. At least… not yet.” Plagg gave him a pointed look, “But in the meantime? You’re a good kid, Adrien. You keep me fed, you don’t commit war crimes for the hell of it, and you’re usually pleasant to talk to.” Plagg shook his head again, “And given the circumstances… that’s way more than I would’ve expected.”

Plagg’s the adult here, something he seems to just be coming to realize. He’s not used to having to be the nurturing one, the one who needs to be kind and gentle, to boost up his wielder. He’s used to practicing resistance as best he can, or to just being along for the ride.

But with his expectations upended and such a blatant display of how his usual modus operandi isn’t going to work, is a bad fit for these particular circumstances he finds himself in? He adjusts. He makes sure to let Adrien know that he’s not mad at him, that he understands that Adrien isn’t ready to rebel yet, and that he thinks well of him. By next chapter he’s flat-out said he’s adopting Adrien, which sounds like a joke but in a lot of ways seems to be the truth. He’s being the closest thing Adrien has to a good parental figure, since he doesn’t have one currently. He’s the adult in this situation, and he’s acting like it.

We’re all just trying to get through this world as best we know how, making assumptions of what others are thinking and feeling, and being affected by our own experiences and emotional state. Sometimes this causes conflict, even between ‘good’ characters who’re on the same side, who are doing the best they can in trying circumstances. I truly admire how HappyCamper41 has portrayed these situations and look forward to reading more of her writings!


End file.
